Vehicle signal



Patent Apr... 10, 192.,

nsimr n. masses, or ronrriann, caisson.

- vnnrcns s enna.

Application filed Ilanuary 25, 1922. Serial Ito. 531,659.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY E. THAYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, county of Multnomah, State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to vehicle signals in general, and particularly to such signals as are used upon automobiles, the object of the invention being-to provide such a signal device that is cheap to manufacture, simple to install and to operate,and easily seen from either side of the vehicle. I accomplish this object and other desirable results that will hereinafter appear, by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which is a part of this application for Letters Patent, like characters of reference indicating like parts throughout the several views thereof, and in which:

Fig. l, is a perspective view of my device installed upon the dash board of a vehicle. J

Figs. 2, 3, d and are perspective views of the ends of the device with various si%na1s displayed.

ig. 6 is a sectional elevation of one end of my device upon an enlarged scale.

-i 7 is a sectional elevation upon line A- of Fig. 6 of the longitudinally slidable signal member.

Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation of Fig. 6 of the rotatable casing= In general. my device consists of a hollow casing projecting from the side of the vehicle and mounted upon a rotatable shaft, a signal device slidablyj disposed within said casing and adapted to display signals when moved either to the right or left-within said casing, and means to operate said casing and said signal device.

The casings within which the signal de vices are slidably mounted, and of which there are two, 0ne upon each side of the vehicle as shown in Fig. 1 are each composed of a hollow box like portion 9 open at each end thereof and having parallel extending arms 10 joined at their extremities by a head. 11. One of these casi gs is secured at each end of ashaft 12, which shaft is hollow and is rotatably mounted in suitable \bearinis 13 secured to the dash board 14 of the ve lcle, as shown in Fig. l.

Within the casing 9 is slida-bly mounted a box like signal member 15 having oppositely disposed sides constructed of transparent material 16, such as glass or the like, and bearing thereon a double headed arrow signal design 17. Said signal members 1.5 are connected by a hollow shaft18 mounted within the hollow shaft 12, so that reciprocation of said shaft 18 within shaft 12 will cause each of the signal members 15 to move either to the rightor to the left simultaneously with the other, within its respective casing 9.

The shaft 12 is provided with a slot 19 therein through which slot projects a handle 20, which handle is secured to the shaft 18, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6.

Electric lamps 21 are mounted upon the endsof the shaft 18 within the signal members 15, electric wires 22 from which lamps are mounted within the shaft 18, projecting therefromthrough an orifice 23 therein, and thence being carried to any convenient source of electric current, the lamps being grounded upon the shaftlS.

Each side of the casing 9 normally disposed relative to the transparent sides: 16 of the signal device 15 is provided with a transparent closure 24, upon one of which closures isdisp'layed the word Stop and upon the other of which is displayed the word Back.

When the vehicle is running straight ahead the signal device is in the condition shown in Fig. 1, the signal designs of double headed arrows being obscured by the opaque sides of the casing 9, and the words Stop and Back being upon the upper and lower sides of the casing respectively and therefore invisible to any one observing the vehicle from the outside thereof.

When it is desired to signal an anticipated turn to the left the handle is moved to the left end of the slot 19 thereby causing the left hand signal member 15 to project towards the left beyond the respective casing 9 to display the left end of the double headed arrow thereon, as shown in Fig. 2. Simultaneously the right hand signal mem ber 15 is caused .to move to the left within its casing 9 and to display the left end of its double headed arrow in the space between the arms 10 of the respective casing 9, as shown in Fig. 4. Thus the intention to make a left hand turn is signaled from each side of the vehicle simultaneously.

A movement of the handle 20 to the right hand end of the slot 19 will reverse the above conditions and result in displaying an intention to make a right hand turn.

If it is desired to make a stop the handle 20 is lowered, thus rotating the shafts 12 and 18 simultaneously within the bearings 13 and thus moving the casings so that the word Stop is displayed towards the rear of the vehicle, as shown in Fig. 3.

If it is desired to move the vehicle backwards the handle 20 is raised, thus rotating the shafts 12 and 18 simultaneously within the bearings 13, and thus moving the casings so that the Word Back is displayed towards the rear of the vehicle, as shown in Fig. 5.

It is obvious that if it is the intention to make a turn either to the right or to the left and then to make a stop, the turn may be signaled, and then, the turn completed, the stop signal may be displayed without resetting the turn signal, which is an advantage of my device over many other types of vehicle signals.

The signal member 15 is provided with transparent closures 25 upon the sides there of adjacent the sides of the respective casing bearing the words Stop and Back, which allows of the illumination of said words at night by means of the electric lamps 21.

My device may be made of any size, and constructedof any materials deemed convenient and suitable for a device of this character, and while I have illustrated and described a form of construction and arrangement of parts found desirable in materializing my invention, I wish to include in this application for Letters Patent all mechanical equivalents and substitutes that may fairly be considered to come within the scope and purview of my'invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having disclosed my invention so that others may be enabled to construct and to use the same, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a vehicle signal: a hollow casing rotatably mounted and bearing signal devices oppositely disposed thereon; a signal bearing member longitudinally slidably mounted within said casing and adapted to display signals when protruded from said casing; means to rotate said casing; and means to operate said signal bearing member.

2. In a vehicle signal: a signal bearing casing; arms projecting from said casing; a rotatableshaft connected to said arms and adapted to rotate said casing; a signal hearing member longitudinally slidable within said casing; a shaft connected to said member adapted to slide the same within said casing; and means to operate said shafts.

3. In a vehicle signal; a pair of telescopically disposed shafts; a signal bearing casing mounted upon the outer of said shafts; a signal bearing member within said casing and secured to the inner of said shafts; and means to operate said shafts to display the various signals.

4. In a vehicle signal: a rotatable signal bearing casing; a slidable signal bearing member within said casing; means to display the signals upon said casing by rotating the latter; and means to display the signals upon said member by longitudinally sliding the latter.

In witness whereof I claim the foregoing as my own I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses at Portland, count of Multnomah, State of Oregon, this 16th ay of Jan., 1922.

. HENRY E. THAYER.

Witnesses.

L. J. RoBINsoN, C. F. BLAKE. 

